Pokemon Red & Violet
by Novus000
Summary: Follow two young pokemon trainers, Violet and Red, as they travel through their region challenging gyms and bonding in the process.
1. Beginnings

Violet slipped into her jacket and ran out the door in a flash. She couldn't believe she had lost track of the time! She ran down her street, heart racing in anticipation. She slowed a bit when she had reached the end and instinctively reached to her waist, unclipping the small ball from it. She casually tossed it in front of her. Light poured out of the sphere which then began forming into a familiar form. Just as quickly as the light appeared, it faded, leaving an adorable eevee at Violet's feet. The small pokemon yawned and stretched; clearly it had overslept like its master. 'Come on, Rocky, we are late!' Violet pleaded. Rocky's ears perked up, and it turned to face Violet for a moment before it seemed to realize what she was talking about. It yipped happily and took off running towards the lab. She chased after it, trying to contain her utter excitement.

-

Red sighed as he watched the morning sun begin to peek over the distant mountains. He fell back against the wall of the lab and watched his eevee chase its own tail. 'Well Ace, Violet must have overslept. I bet she couldn't sleep'. The small pokemon didn't show any signs that it was listening. Red closed his eyes and imagined what the professor could want with the two of them. He could have left the day before and gotten a head start on Violet, but the prof. insisted that the two of them wait. 'Maybe I should just wait inside...' he thought to himself. Before he could get up, however, he heard tiny footsteps approaching. He opened his eyes just in time to see Rocky, Violet's eevee, playfully tackle Ace to the ground. Red couldn't help but laugh whenever the two pokemon got together. They had always gotten along perfectly. He couldn't say the same for himself and Violet, however. They got along well enough, except for one thing; they both had a serious competitive streak with each other. Ever since she had moved into his small town, they had always tried to outdo one another. 'Took you long enough, Violet! I thought you were going to just give up!' Red teased the girl as she turned the corner, almost out of breath. She took only a moment to compose herself and stood up straight, trying not to gasp for breath. She wouldn't be outdone. Not today. 'Yeah right, Red' she managed. He gave her one more moment to catch her breath (which she was internally greatful for) before reaching for the door to the lab and opening it wide. 'Ladies first,' He said with a sneer. She rolled her eyes and walked into the building.

The lab was normally well lit, with several stations devoted to various research on different types of elements of pokemon, and how they might be used to better the world. It was usually filled with half a dozen scientists that work under the professor. Today, however, the lab was completely different. There was only one station that was lit, at the far end of the room. There was no sign of anyone either. 'I wonder what's over there' Violet thought out loud. 'Me too, lets go see!' Red responded. The two carefully made their way to the lit table. After a moment, they reached it and looked down. On the table layed 8 small stones, each a different color and symbol. Neither Red nor Violet had ever seen them before. Red picked one of them up; it was yellow, and shaped like a lightning bolt. Violet picked one up as well; this one was black, shaped comparable to that of a black hole. 'Do you think these are...?' Red started. 'Evolution stones,' a deep voice finished. The voice echoed across the empty building. The two dropped the stones they held back onto the table and turned around quickly. At the entrance stood a tall man in a white lab coat. He flipped the light switch on, and the entire lab seemed to spring to life. He left the door open just long enough for the two eevees playing outside to get in before closing it behind them.

'I asked the two of you to see me today before you left the small town of Pawn.' the professor began his obviously-well-rehearsed monologue. 'The world outside of this town can be a harsh area by yourselves, which is why I wanted to give each of you a headstart.' He continued his small speech as he approached the table himself. 'As you well know, the eevees you two have had since you were little are very rare. Their only known habitat is near our small town. These special pokemon dont evolve through experience, as most typically do. The eevees evolve by touching one of these rare stones.' The two looked at each other blankly, and down to the stones once more. 'I want each of you to choose one.' Red looked up at the professor 'Are you sure, gramps- I mean... professor? Don't you need these for your research?' The man smiled and responded 'Think of it as... a field test.'

Ace and Rocky both jumped at the heels of their masters. They wanted to see what all the humans were so interested in. The trainers both picked up their pokemon to let them see. 'Which one should I choose?' the two of them thought aloud in unison. The professor chimed in once more 'Why don't you let your pokemon decide which path they want to take?' The trainers looked at each other and nodded. They let the eevees onto the table and (trying to contain their excitement) watched. Ace and Rocky sniffed around, inspecting each stone. Ace got about halfway through before he stopped and pawed at one. Red leaned in and picked up the stone. It was completely red with the shape of an open flame. 'This must be the one you want, eh Ace?' he asked. Ace yipped and jumped back into the trainer's arms. Rocky was taking a little longer to decide, however. She looked back and forth between two different stones; one was the black hole stone Violet had picked up earlier, the other, a violet stone in the shape of an eye. The room grew quiet as the eevee decided. She bit down on the purple stone and jumped into her master's arms. 'Excellent!' The professor exclaimed. 'Now lets go outside and activate the stones!' Within a few moments the group was outside. The sun had risen well above the distant mountains, and various flying pokemon had begun to sing in the trees. The prof explained the process of the stones to the trainers. It went from a how-you-use-the-stones lecture seamlessly into a how-pokemon-scientifically-metamophose and once more into how-pokemon-are-the-future-of-progress before the scientist realized what he had done and wrapped everything up. 'All right, Violet, how about you use yours first?' She nodded and bit her lip nervously.

'Come here, Rocky!' She called. Obediently, Rocky stood before her in seconds. Violet took a deep breath and pulled out the stone. She gently reached out and pressed the stone into the eevee's chest. Light engulfed the pokemon immediately, causing Violet to stumble back. She stared in awe as the light only grew brighter. She held up her arm to shield her eyes and that's when she noticed: The area around her pokemon was changing. The small rocks and loose foliage were floating inches off the ground! She reached out and touched one of the seemingly zero gravity rocks, and watched as it slowly floated out of reach in response. Eventually the light began to fade, and she no longer needed to shield her eyes. The eevee she had spent years with now stood taller. Her eyes had turned a bright purple, as did her fur. Directly centered on her forhead now layed a dazzling red gem. Rocky looked toward her master and tilted her head. Violet ran up and immediately embraced her friend. She buried her uncontrollable smile into Rocky's fresh fur. Behind her she heard the prof speak once more.

'Ah, an Espeon! Wonderful! Psychic pokemon are considered by most to be a noble, proud and graceful type!' Red bit his toungue to supress his urge to laugh as an image of psyduck crossed his mind. The professor continued 'As long as you treat a psychic pokemon with respect, it will be returned tenfold!' Still face deep into espeon, Violet responded. 'That won't be an issue whatsoever, will it Rocky?' The pokemon nodded slightly and mewed loudly. 'And now you, Red.' the professor spoke in his direction. He nodded and stood up.

'Come on, Ace! Our turn now!' Red spoke. Ace stood before him expectantly, his bushy tail wagging furiously. He took out his stone and pressed it against his pokemon's chest. At first it didn't seem to work, but then Red felt his arm getting extremely hot. He pulled his arm back just in time, as his eevee erupted into a blazing fire. The heat was so intense that he had to jump back farther, and hold his arms up to shield from it. 'Something has to be wrong,' he thought out loud, and tried to take a step toward Ace. He felt a hand on his shoulder that kept him back, however. Red looked back and caught the scientists gaze. The man only nodded and looked out once more towards the pokemon. Red followed his gaze and realized the fire was dieing down. He took a step or two closer, still fighting the heat when suddenly it died out entirely. Standing before him was a new pokemon. It looked so similar to eevee, except his mane and tail resembled the flames that had engulfed him only moments earlier. His fur was notably redder as well. Ace jumped out from the scorched earth and tackled his master to the ground licking at his face. He quickly noted that his evolved friend was noticably heavier, as he struggled for breath.

The professor laughed and spoke, 'Looks like a Flareon! Outstanding! Fire pokemon are known for being the most passionate, stong and loyal type. You will never have problems with him disobeying your orders, so long as you care for him.' Red lifted his new partner off his chest and sat up. 'Hah! No problems indeed then!' he laughed, and pulled Ace into a hug. 'All right you two,' the professor started, 'with your new pokemon, you should have no problem traveling to nearby cities. I know there isn't anything I can say that would stop you at this point, but I do have one request...'

The two trainers stood up side by side and faced the prof. 'What is it, gramps?' Red asked. He realized he was being too informal again and tried once more in an attempt to cover his mistake. 'I mean... what request, professor?' The man smiled and spoke once more. 'It's quite all right, Red. You can call me whatever you'd like. My one request, is that you both travel together. I want you to help each other learn and progress. You two make such a cute couple, you know.' Red rolled his eyes and sighed. Everyone they met always said that. Violet was the first to speak, 'Of course, professor. I'll make sure your nephew stays out of trouble. You can count on me!' The old man simply laughed and said, 'Thanks, Violet. Now if you two will excuse me, I must be getting back to the lab!' They all waved and he walked off.

Violet kneeled down in front of Rocky and stroked her soft fur. She gave off a quiet purr and leaned into Violet's touch. This was certainly the same pokemon she had spent years with, that much was certain. All of her mannerisms were the same as before, but now she seemed so... noble. She looked over at Red, who seemed to be thinking similar thoughts about his Flareon. She smiled at him running his fingers through the pokemon's new thick mane and a thought emerged from her mind: She realized she felt a slight sting of jealeousy at the sight. She wondered what his attention might feel like... When she snapped back to reality, she realized he was looking right at her, expecting an answer of some kind. 'I-i... I'm sorry, what?' His eyes had a familiar light in them; he looked this way whenever he saw a chance to compete. 'I said, let's duel! First pokemon to land a direct hit wins!' Red spoke with confidence in his voice. She smiled right back and stood up 'You're on!'

The four figures stood in a grassy field close by. On one end, Red was talking in a hushed voice to his Flareon, hyping it up for the fight. The other end, Violet was speaking softly to Espeon, talking strategy. After a minute, both trainers stood up and approached each other. They stopped midfield and each sent their pokemon out. Espeon reached a spot on the grass in front of her trainer, sat down and began licking at one of her paws. Flareon stepped a few feet in front of his trainer and took a battle stance, ready for the fight. Flareon tilted its head in confusion at his foe's seeming lack of interest. Red's words reassured him, however: 'This is it, Flareon! An easy win! Hit her with [ember]!' Flareon sprang to life, running towards the Espeon, his mane seemed to catch fire as he began to spit flames out of his mouth. Each flame aimed directly at the stationary target. Red leaned forward, waiting for the easy victory. Just as the fireballs reached their target, however, they redirected straight towards the ground around her, igniting the grass close by. Both Red and Ace stopped dead in their tracks, unable to process what had just happened.

'D-deflected?' Red guessed. From across the field, Violet sprang into action, 'Now, Rocky!' The Espeon stopped licking its paw and instead planted it firmly onto the ground, facing the Flareon. The area around Flareon began to shift around. First the rocks and foliage lifted up into the air, and then Flareon soon followed. He flailed helplessly around, spitting more flames in a panic. Espeon tilted her head and looked off to the right; everything she held with her mind followed her gaze. The Flareon struggled through the air and barely landed on his feet in time. The moment his feet touched down, he took off running towards the Espeon, spitting more flames. The flames around Espeon had grown hot enough to disrupt her concentration, making it much more difficult to deflect the incoming fireballs. She lept gracefully out of harm's way to land in a fresh spot, but as she cleared the blinding smoke around her, she saw Flareon leap out through the smokey veil and tackle her to the ground, pinning her down.

Ace licked Rocky's cheek before getting off her, circling back to his celebrating master. He jumped into Red's arms, once again knocking him to the ground and licking his face. Violet ran over to Rocky, who had already gotten up and began licking herself clean from the dirt she had just been pinned to. 'You did real good, Rocky! Next time we will win for sure!' Violet spoke, helping brush off some of the dirt. 'That was an amazing match, Violet!' Red yelled, running up to them. 'And you know what this means... the tie is broken in my favor yet again! What's that now? 168 to 167?' The light in his eyes shone brighter than ever, as if he could control flames as well. Ace looked out over the field that was still partially on fire and closed his eyes. He slowly lowered his head, and every flame seemed to obey his movement, shrinking until they became only a puff of smoke. Red reached his partner and held a hand out towards her. She looked up at the hand and followed it up to his ear-to-ear smile before locking eyes. She had much more fun than she would ever admit to him. One thing she enjoyed most was fierce competition, and he certainly delivered. She smiled her own precious smile and reached out for his hand. 'Enjoy having the lead while you can, Red. I will be taking it back soon enough!' She scoffed as he helped her up.

-

Before long, the two stood in the middle of the road, their backs to the town of Pawn. They stood together, a mixture of pure anxiousness, exhilaration and a hint of fear between them. In unison, they both took a deep breath and stepped into route 1.


	2. Route 1

Violet had never spent too much time outside of Pawn. She gazed across the vast field of tall grass that swayed before her. She could hear various cries of pokemon; some she recognized, most she didn't. She paused for a single moment and closed her eyes. The sun had begun its decent towards the distant mountains, and the accompanying heat followed closely. 'Hmph.' The frustrated grunt from behind her pulled Violet out of her trance. She turned around to see Red looking across the same field, eyes narrowed in thought. 'What's wrong? Miss home already?' Violet teased. Red's gaze didn't waver 'That's not it... but I need to find a path away from all of this tall grass... Flareon could get into a lot of trouble here.' Violet gasped; she hadn't thought of that! She tried scanning the horizon, but to no avail. The trail the two adventurers followed had led them straight to where they stood. 'C'mere Ace' Red called out, kneeling down. Flareon ran over and sat obediently in front of him. Red ran his fingers through Ace's mane and spoke softly to him: 'I'm sorry bud, you will have to wait for a while.' He reached down to unclip a ball from his belt. He tapped the button and the pokeball grew in his hands. Flareon whined; he understood that the pokeball meant it was time for rest, but there was so much to see! Light shot from the pokeball, engulfing the pokemon. The ball's colors grew vibrant: the sign that it was occupied. Red stood back up and sighed sadly, clipping the sphere back to his belt. 'Let's go.'

Red led the way, brushing aside the grass as he went. Violet could feel her partner's heart sink and was determined to find a way to cheer him up. She racked her brain, trying to think of something to say. She looked down at Rocky who had seemed to pick up on her thoughts. Rocky mewed and took a hard left into the brush, running. 'H-hey!' Violet called out after her. The two trainers started taking off running after the fleeing pokemon when suddenly a wild pokemon flew out of the brush. 'That's a Pidgey!' Red called out. The Pidgey turned and dove towards the grass it had just flown from. Before it disappeared beneath the sea of swaying grass, Espeon jumped out from below, dodging its tackle attempt. Violet yelled out to her pet 'Rocky, use [confuse]!' Espeon focused her eyes on her target, and the ruby gem on her forehead glimmered. The wild pokemon began to flap wildly, experiencing sudden vertigo. It fell to the ground helplessly. Red clapped happily, his face beaming with excitement. 'Now catch it!' Red spoke, wanting to see it finished. Violet grinned towards him and spoke: 'No.' She tossed a pokeball towards Red, who barely caught it. 'This one is for you, Red. If you are going to be my partner, you will need to be SOMEWHAT useful!'

He nodded and turned around, facing the downed pokemon and, sizing up his pitch, threw the empty pokeball towards it. The ball hit the Pidgey, absorbing it entirely before touching ground. Both trainers watched as the ball rolled around; the bird inside was struggling to escape. After what seemed like an eternity, the ball laid still. Both trainers exhaled, breaking the silence simultaneously. Red ran up and grabbed the pokeball. He swung it towards Violet and posed, cheering loudly 'Awww yeah, I caught a PIDGEY!' His smile widened as he stared at the back lit ball in his hands. Violet's smile mirrored his, and she allowed herself to fall into another day dream. His smile was always so genuine, Violet felt like could watch it for hours and never get bored. His words snapped her back to reality 'Thank you Violet, I couldn't have done this without you'. He spoke directly and honestly. She felt her cheeks flush red. It wasn't often that he was so serious and sincere. Embarrassed at the sudden change in the atmosphere between them, Violet stuttered before she regained her composure 'W-well... You know... This makes us even again! You owe me big time! I HANDED that catch to you! In fact, I would say this puts me ahead, 169 to 168!' Red's jaw dropped 'Whaaa- that's not fair!' he protested, but his smile gave away his true lack of objection.

Red threw the pokeball skyward, releasing his new ally into the evening air. It flew a large circle overhead before descending down to perch on Red's arm. It stood no more than a foot high. It looked towards Red expectantly, as if waiting for something. Red exchanged glances with Violet and pondered for a moment before snapping his fingers. 'I've got it!' Red brought Pidgey close to him and spoke. 'I will call you... Aero.' Aero stretched its wings far apart and puffed out his chest before giving off a happy screech. Violet looked down at Rocky and caught her staring hungrily at the Pidgey. She snapped her fingers at her pokemon; a habit she picked up one evening long ago when her young Eevee refused to play nice with Ace. Rocky shook her head, as if shaking the hungry thoughts from her mind. 'Okay Red, lets carry on!' Violet practically sang the words as she started off, eager to catch one for herself this time. 'Err... that's the way we came from, Violet. Let's head this way instead.' Red chimed. Without losing a beat (as if she anticipated choosing the wrong direction), she spun around on one foot and skipped toward the suggested path.

-

The two adventurers had reached a wide open clearing by the time night arrived. The warm breezy air of the day had been replaced by a cold wind, much colder than either had anticipated. They stopped near a lone tree, resting for a bit. Violet sat and relaxed while Red teamed up with Aero to gather as much fallen wood as they could find in the moonlight. Before too long, a large enough pile was amassed and Red sat down next to his partner. 'Nice pile, but I don't recall you bringing matches' Violet joked. 'Please, I could get a fire going without matches, I'm an expert in wilderness survival!' he replied. She ALMOST took the bait, until she saw him pull out his pokeball. Within seconds Ace had lit the wood, providing warmth and light to the team. Espeon laid down close to the fire, tired after the long day of exploring and battling. Between Violet and Red lay 3 new bright pokeballs. Red had caught a Weedle that had managed to sneak up on the party (Violet nearly fainted at the sudden appearance of the large bug pokemon). The other two catches belonged to Violet. She found a wild Teddiursa on the edge of the forest and spent nearly every pokeball she had to catch it. The following half hour was spent dishing out bear hugs to her new infant Teddy! She swooned over the tiny animal, constantly claiming how closely her Teddiursa doll she kept on her bed resembled the real thing.

Red looked blankly at the third ball. To be honest, he had no idea what it contained. Whenever he asked about it, Violet would smile deviously and say 'That's for me to know...' before trailing off and changing the subject.

'You know Violet, Rook shouldn't be more than an hour or two away from here. We could get there before sunrise if we leave now.' Red spoke, turning to look at her. She looked back at him, closed her eyes and leaned over, resting her head on his shoulder. 'Nah, I'm comfy here.' He just smiled and laid his head onto hers. 'All right. Let's stay here until sunrise.' Ace laid down in his usual resting spot: right at the feet of his master. Back when Ace was a pup Eevee, he got used to this spot. Red didn't mind, the small body provided his feet warmth in the night. Now that the pup had evolved into a much larger fire pokemon, the natural heat he gave off was much more noticable. On this chilly night, however, that worked out towards Red's advantage. Violet must have realized this too, because she soon placed her feet on Reds, as if she were toasting a marshmallow over a campfire. With the two trainers cuddled closely together, the crisp air became a distant memory and in mere minutes they had fallen asleep.


	3. Rook Town

It was nearly midday by the time the trainers reached Rook Town. Violet and Red both made their first stop at the town Pokecenter. The counter top had several trays scattered acrossed it, each of which had six round indents spaced evenly over top. The trainers each took a tray and placed their pokeballs gently onto them one by one, then got in line. Red looked down at his tray and smiled. Behind him Violet was looking at her own tray: three balls, each reflected her smile back towards her. Red reached the front of the line first and was greeted by an overly-cheerful nurse. The nurse welcomed the visitors and took the trays off their hands, placing them onto a machine. The machine came to life, playing a simple yet catchy jingle in an attempt to cover the mechanical noises. The two hadn't said a single word to each other since arriving at the town. Instead they were just taking it all in. Now they finally had a moment of downtime while their pokemon were being treated. Violet was the first to speak. 'Well, what should we do now?' Red looked down at his feet and thought quietly. 'Well...' he started, 'do you want to try the Rook Town Gym?'

The two trainers wondered silently to themselves for a moment before a stranger approached them. 'Did I hear you intend to challenge the local gym?' Violet turned to face the voice. A tall, slender young man stood before her. His jet black hair was slicked back and he sported a long sleeve dark coat. 'You must not have heard how strong the leader is, then!' Violet tilted her head slightly and asked 'Oh? What can you tell us about the gym leader?' The young man smiled at the inquiry and began explaining. 'Well the gym leader is often considered one of the most difficult in the region. The pokemon he uses are so swift, many trainers cannot even manage to land a single hit! Red closed his eyes and imagined to himself what kind of pokemon could be swift enough to avoid attacks, while delivering decisive blows simultaneously... He imagined the legendary flying pokemon Zapdos. There was no way though... what trainer could compete with that? The stranger continued. 'His gym is available to any trainer that wishes to challenge him, but only after sunset. It gives his pokemon... the advantage.' He trailed off, a sly grin spread across his face. Red and Violet looked at one another, their eyes filled with wonder and excitement. 'Oh, and one more catch...' The young man spoke once more. 'He plays doubles. Two pokemon versus two. Therein lies his strength. The bond between a pokemon and its master gets tested every battle, but rarely tested, is the bond between a pokemon and its brothers-in-arms. They must know what the other is capable of... its weaknesses so that it may cover them, for example.'

Red and Violet's jaw dropped. Two pokemon out at a time? They had never heard of such a thing! The kind nurse behind the counter called out to the trainers 'Thanks you two! Your pokemon are fighting fit! We hope to see you again!' The young man waved and excused himself with a heart filled 'I'll see you two later... champs in the making!' before exiting the pokecenter. Both grabbed their pokeballs off the trays and excitedly ran out the center themselves.

-

Sure enough, as the helpful stranger had said, the gym was closed until sunset. It towered over the trainers, casting a large shadow towards the rest of Rook Town. Beside the building was a training grounds, available to any trainers who wanted to warm up. This is where Violet and Red currently sat, looking at their pokeballs. Red had no choice; he would have to field Ace and Aero. He tossed the balls and the two pokemon appeared, lined up before their master. Violet already had Rocky beside her, and was eyeing the other two pokeballs. She knew she was going to field Rocky, but which other pokemon best complimented her? Nova, her Teddiursa was not really ready for any kind of intense combat... afterall, he WAS just a cub! It seemed to Violet that she would have no choice but to use her secret weapon that she had caught the day before. She picked up the glowing pokeball and concealed a slight frown. She wanted her secret weapon's debut battle to be against Red. She knew the idea of the 'mystery secret weapon' was killing Red with anticipation, and wanted to use that advantage to win their next skirmish. 'Oh well, I'll just have to win the old fashioned way, by being better than him!' Violet thought to herself. She stood up, gripping the pokeball tight. Right as she readied a long throw, however, Red called out to her.

'Violet, it looks like the gym is opening up. Come on, let's go!' Sheer enthusiasm rang through his voice. The two gathered together, returning their pokemon as they headed to the front door. Red couldn't calm himself, despite all of his efforts as they made their way around to the front of the building. They were already attempting the first gym! His mind raced with different possibilities of what they were about to face. In no time the trainers stood before the large double doors. No one else was around. 'Well then, let's get this started!' Red spoke as he stepped right up towards the double doors and gave them a hard push. Both doors swung wide open. Red caught Violet's eyes and they both subtly nodded to each other. They were ready. With deep breaths, they stepped inside.

-

Rook Town Gym was extremely plain on the inside. It seemed to contain next to nothing, save a pit in the center. The two trainers cautiously made their way towards the railing around the pit to get a deeper look. It seemed about a story lower than the floor they currently stood on, and was neatly squared off; it made for a perfect battleground. Violet could hear Red talking under his breath. 'This is it? I thought there would be more... I dunno, official looking things?' She silently agreed with him. It seemed odd that this was one of 6 official gyms in their region, and yet it seemed abandoned. Despite standing next to her partner, she felt very alone all of a sudden as a chill ran up her spine. 'This doesn't seem right... maybe we shoul-' Violet began to say before a loud voice on the other side of the pit cut her off. 'Ah, champs in the making! I'm SO glad you made it!' Leaning against the railing on the opposite end of the gym, the stranger from the pokecenter called out to them. 'Welcome to my gym!'

Violet was relieved just a bit to find someone else in the building, but Red struggled to catch on. 'Wait... YOUR gym? As in... YOU are the gym leader?' The young man ran his fingers through his slicked back hair and nodded. 'Yep! I am the Rook Town gym leader Obsidian, at your service!' His voice echoed through the empty coliseum. 'And I must say,' he continued, 'It's not often that I am challenged by two trainers at once. I assume you will both control one pokemon, yes?' Red and Violet looked at each other in confusion. Neither of them had even thought of that possibility. Red turned back to face Obsidian and nodded. 'Splendid! I knew right away when I met you two. You really do make a fine couple you know!' Violet immediately felt her face blushing; people always said that about them, and inwardly she agreed. Whenever she had a moment to herself, she often daydreamed about what it would be like. She secretly wondered if he felt the same way. She snuck a glance over at Red, whose eyes were currently lit with the excitement of a promising battle. The gym leader spoke once more, explaining the rules.

'Like I told you back at the pokecenter, this battle will be a 2v2 match up. You will throw out your first pokemon, then I will call both of mine out, and finally you may choose your last pokemon.' Red nodded thoughtfully, hand raised to his chin. 'The first pick gets a major disadvantage, because you can counter with it's weakness... but then we get the chance to counter yours as well. I like it!' The gym leader nodded. 'That's right, champ. Also, I will allow you one substitution; before a pokemon faints, you may swap it out for one other choice. First one of us to knock out 2 of our opponent's pokemon will be declared the winner. When you are ready to begin, call out your first pokemon.' Red and Violet turned to face one another and began talking quietly. The gym leader only smiled and waited. After a few minutes of hushed strategies and quiet encouraging passed, Violet called out: 'Rocky, I choose you!' and tossed the pokeball into the pit below.

-

All at once, and without warning, the kind smile on Obsidian's face turned much more sinister. The natural light of the setting sun that bled through the windows behind the gym leader was suddenly cut off; the windows had shut, darkening the entire gym to the point that the lone Espeon stood barely visible in the pit. 'Ah a psychic pokemon? How unfortunate!' Obsidian gloated. 'You must not have heard; The Rook Town Gym is a Dark type gym!' On the far end of the pit, two pokeballs touched down, shooting out the familiar light. As the light faded, two pokemon began to take shape, but immediately disappeared into the surrounding darkness. 'All right, I have chosen my two pokemon. Go ahead and make your final choice!' the gym leader called out. 'This is really terrible!' Red spoke to Violet. 'Your moves will have no effect with the enemy pokemon! And to add insult to injury, I couldn't get a clear shot of what two pokemon he used either! I cannot pick the weakness!' Violet could feel the panic in his voice and spoke to calm him down. 'Remember what he told us back at the pokecenter: In order to succeed, our pokemon have to know exactly what the other is capable of, and know how to cover the others' weaknesses. Their bond is their strength! You know who to pick!' Reassured by her words, Red calmed down and reached for his belt. He unclipped the first ball and tossed it into the pit alongside the Espeon. 'Go get em, Ace!' He called out. The battle was set to start.


	4. Gym Battle!

Espeon and Flareon stood side by side in the dark pit. Sensing two nearby pokemon, they scanned the area around them but couldn't see anything. Though she had only evolved into a psychic pokemon a few days earlier, Espeon instantly learned to pinpoint a nearby pokemon's aura with ease, but this time it was different. The darkness that enveloped the room seemed to carry the aura evenly throughout; Rocky couldn't even sense the general direction that these mysterious pokemon were hidden. An urgent voice filled the battleground from above. 'Rocky, please be careful!' The Espeon looked up towards her master on the floor above her and nodded. Another voice filled the room: 'Ace you need to illuminate the room! Use [Ember] to find the enemy!' The Flareon turned and spat a flame across the room, lighting the empty space as it soared. The flame landed on the ground and lingered for a moment before a single spurt of water shot out through the darkness and hit it directly, extinguishing the flame entirely.

Red gasped at the sight. 'Wait... is there a water pokemon down there? Ace watch out!' Ace took a low stance and looked around once more. The darkness was too intense to see anything clearly. Obsidian's harsh laugh could be heard throughout the gym. 'What an unlucky couple! You two have been out-classed from the start!' The two trainers looked at each other with worried expressions. 'Let's end this quickly! Go ahead Shade, use [Swift]!' On command, the darkness began to shift around. The corner of the pit let off a yellow glow, providing enough light to see what was causing it. Violet gasped 'That's! Umbreon!' she turned to face Red. 'Umbreon's rings always glow before it attacks!' The Umbreon took off towards the Espeon with incredible speed. 'Rocky look out!' Violet gasped. Rocky detected the threat and leapt out of harms way just as the yellow blur whizzed by. Umbreon continued running until it reached the wall and doubled back towards the airborne Espeon, striking her from behind. A painful cry sounded off as the struck pokemon fell to the ground. As Rocky lifted herself up off the ground, Obsidian's gloating voice could be heard once again. 'Don't you know? [Swift] never misses! AGAIN, SHADE!'

The Umbreon took off running once more towards the recovering pokemon. 'Ace use [quick attack]! Save Rocky!' Red commanded. Ace instantly sprang into action, running full speed towards the Umbreon that threatened his ally. As he reached his speeding target Ace tucked his head down, ready for contact when a sudden burst of water struck him from the side, causing him to trip and tumble just short of his target. Uninterrupted, the Umbreon again struck Espeon to the ground and took off, disappearing once more into the darkness. Ace and Rocky got up off the ground and steadied themselves, bracing for an attack once more.

'They are being forced to play defensively' Red observed. 'We need to find a way to shift the momentum in our favor.' Violet nodded '...but how Red?' He looked over the battlefield, thinking hard. 'His weakness... is the glow from his Umbreon; It gives away his position before every attack! The problem is Ace is being pinned down by some kind of water pokemon out there! We need a way for him to avoid the water attack long enough to defend Rocky. I'm not sure ho-' Red's line of thought was interrupted by Obsidian's booming voice. 'One more [swift] ought to take that Espeon out Shade, GO NOW!' On command, the corner of the pit began glowing yellow. Without hesitation, the Umbreon took off running once more. 'Damn it...' Red began. He didn't like where this was going, but he had no choice. 'Ace, once again use [quick attack]! Protect Rocky!' Ace roared and took off running once more to intercept the attack. 'Rocky, use [double team] on Ace!' Violet suddenly commanded. Espeon touched her paw to the ground and looked towards her ally.

Red blinked several times in confusion. He saw at least half a dozen Aces running full speed towards the charging Umbreon. Red watched as everything seemed to slow down for a moment. Violet next to him leaned onto the rail, both hands gripping it tight as she watched. The gym leader stood opposite them, and though barely visible through the darkness, his silhouette clearly showed him crossing his arms and watching the battle unfold. He looked down at the many pokemon; several Flareons closed in fast around the charging Umbreon as the injured Espeon braced for one final impact. The Flareons began dispersing into thin air one by one as the concealed water pokemon began rapid-firing water bursts at them. The five remaining Aces tucked their heads in, readying for impact. Each of the remaining Flareons struck Umbreon simultaneously from all sides, but clearly the Flareon that struck it head on was the real Ace, as the Umbreon toppled backwards, flailing through the air. The moment the enemy pokemon hit ground, Red cheered loudly 'Great job! Let's push em hard now! Don't let Umbreon recover! Use [take down] NOW!'

The hidden water pokemon frantically shot out the images of the charging Flareon, hoping each image struck would eventually be the real one. It was all in vain, however as Espeon kept making more images with double team, as commanded. As the Umbreon struggled to pull itself up on all fours, Flareon connected a second time - head on. The attack hit so hard it sent the poor pokemon tumbling backwards towards the wall, unconscious. 'We did it!' Violet cheered. 'Not quite yet Violet... there is still one more dark/water type in there somewhere' Red spoke softly, his eyes scanning the room. The ever-gloating gym leader across the room called out to his remaining pokemon. 'I know the Flareon is a tempting target, but the Espeon is almost done. Take it out so it can no longer help it's partner! Use [Night Slash]!'

Red looked towards Violet, his eyes with a hint of worry. 'Violet, quickly. Call Rocky back. She is about to faint.' Violet didn't understand how he came to that conclusion, but she trusted him and obeyed. She pointed Rocky's pokeball out in front of her and a beam of light shot out, striking Rocky. Within seconds, Ace stood center-arena surrounded by only darkness. Violet pocketed the ball and reached for her 'secret weapon'. 'All right, let's make your debut battle one to remember...' she whispered softly to the ball before tossing it into the pit. Gym Leader Obsidian leaned forward and placed his hands on the rail. 'IS THAT?!' Red leaned onto the rail as well, finishing the gym leader's thought: 'A Pikachu?!' Sure enough, a Pikachu stood beside the Flareon, each looking at the other. With the new piece on the board, Red instantly formed a battle plan. 'Violet, I'm going to expose his last pokemon, you need to end it, okay?' She simply nodded and focused on the field.

'Ace!' Red called down to his pokemon, 'You need to use [Flamethrower] to light up the field. Make an opening for Pikachu!' Ace sprung into action, facing different areas and shooting out large spurts of flames, lighting the pit one corner at a time. It only took a few spurts before the enemy pokemon was caught and identified. Violet and Red both knew the pokemon well: Greninja. The tall frog-like pokemon brushed off the flames and slipped away once more into the darkness. 'I suspected as much... There aren't too many water AND dark types that I know of...' Red thought aloud 'That also explains his accuracy on putting out those fires and illusions too... They say his speed is nearly unmatched on the battlefield!' 'Then we just need to be faster!' Violet added. She turned towards her pokemon and called out. 'Bolt! Ready [volt tackle] and use it the next chance you get!' Pikachu nodded and began charging an attack.

Even from the higher floor, the trainers each felt the neck on the back of their necks stand straight as the small yellow pokemon charged his move. The air throughout the gym now carried a heavy energy. Ace continued to purge the darkness with his flamethrower until the enemy Greninja was once again uncovered. Instead of jumping out of the light, however, this time the enemy pokemon took off full speed towards the Flareon, readying his night slash. Flareon flinched from the unexpected incoming attack, stumbling back. Just as Greninja's attack was about to land on the stumbling Flareon, Pikachu lit up a blindingly bright blue; his attack was fully charged. Without missing a beat, Bolt took off in a flash. He glowed so brilliantly in contrast with the dark room, that Violet and Red could only make out a blue sphere flying towards Greninja. In the blink of an eye, the sphere connected with Greninja dead in the stomach. The impact coupled with the charged energy sent Greninja barreling into the far pit wall. 'Hah!' Red called out 'It was SUPER EFFECTIVE!' Greninja slid down the wall, knocked out cold. '...and a critical hit too!' Violet tacked on.

The room fell silent for what seemed like an eternity. The silence was broken by a slow clap from the far side of the room. The lights came on suddenly, making both Red and Violet cover their eyes till they adjusted as the gym leader approached them.

-

'I-incredible...' The gym leader finally spoke to the trainers. They were all gathered just outside the gym. The two trainers stood before the gym leader, their faces beaming with happiness. 'I would never have thought to use [double team] on my pokemon's partner like that... You two... You will get far, champs! I am proud to present you both with the Rook Town Gym Badge!' He reached into his jacket and pulled out two small pins. It was a simple design: a jet-black rhombus. Both trainers grabbed at the badges and immediately started pinning it to themselves. The gym leader continued: 'Your next destination should be the city Queen. It's just through the mountains north of Rook.' Violet finished pinning the badge to her shirt and looked at Obsidian, 'AH! Queen?! You mean... the major shopping city Queen?' Obsidian laughed at her reaction and nodded, pointing towards a nearby path 'Yes, THAT Queen. If you take this path, you'll get there in no time!' Violet turned to Red who was still adjusting his pin on the end of his right sleeve (trying to get it JUST right), and grabbed his arm. 'Come ON, Red!' She shouted, storming off towards the mountains, dragging Red behind her.


End file.
